press centre

The average UK household had a weekly disposable income of £194 in December, up £13 on December 2014

Annual growth in spending power slowed to its lowest rate for 14 months – due to a slow down in wage growth and a slight increase in inflation

Some regions told a different story – London’s spending power remained highest. The East of England experienced the biggest growth and closed its gap on London, while households in the North East saw the smallest rise

Asda’s latest Income Tracker has revealed that UK families welcomed another double-digit increase in spending power last month. As employment levels continued to rise (1.9% year-on-year), disposable income reached £194 a week, up £13 compared to the same time last year.

However, in spite of the welcome boost to wallets, this 7.2% year-on-year growth in spending power marked the lowest percentage increase since October 2014. This was due to the recent slowdown in wage growth and a slight increase in inflation.

Asda CEO predicts another year of ‘intense pressure’ for supermarket retailers

Retailer first to take immediate action by transforming the way it buys products to release a further £500m in lowering prices and further improving quality

‘Impactful changes and decisive action’ imperative for success in 2016

Asda President and CEO Andy Clarke has today announced an additional £500m investment in lowering prices as he predicts another year of intense pressure for supermarket retailers against a turbulent global economic backdrop.

The news coincides with confirmation from EMD – Europe’s leading buying alliance with a combined turnover of 178bn Euros – that Asda will shortly become a member. EMD is made up of 14 national buying structures and pools the collective buying power of 250 supermarket chains. Its work with Asda will be focussed on developing Asda’s own label ranges, including Extra Special.

Combined with a radical shake-up of the retailer’s approach to buying alongside the leverage from Asda-owned IPL (now the number three UK food supplier) and being part of Walmart, will release significant savings from its supply chain. These savings will permanently benefit customers through price cuts and further investment in quality.

The Asda Foundation charity has announced it is increasing its fund for local disasters to £500,000 to help local communities in their time of need over the next 12 months.

It follows the recent floods, with more severe weather forecast over the coming days.

Chair of the Asda Foundation Alex Simpson said: “This is an extremely challenging time for families and communities, and could not come at a worse time of year for them. Store colleagues have been absolutely fantastic in supporting their neighbours – from joining the clean-ups in their areas to providing emergency supplies to community groups and charities to distribute where they’re needed the most. Our store managers and Community Life Colleagues are really leading this drive on the ground and the decision to increase our local disaster fund to £500,000 to help them do this was an easy one for the trustees to make.”

The fund is used to provide community groups and charities with food, water, clothing, cleaning materials and products and support during the clean-up. It also puts a colleague hardship fund in place to support Asda colleagues whose homes are affected by local disasters.

In York, Asda Foundation’s work is continuing today as it delivers cleaning packs to charities and community groups later today to distribute to all 650 affected properties in the area, following a similar move in the Halifax area earlier this week.

Residents in other affected areas have been receiving food, cleaning materials and clothing through the foundation, and colleagues have been helping to clean and provide collection points at stores for anyone who wishes to donate items to their community.

Celebrating was top of the agenda influenced by sport, seasonal events and the Royal family

As the year draws to a close, leading supermarket Asda looks back at what drove the nation’s shopping habits in 2015. Online sales continued to grow with George.com receiving over 12,000 transactions per day and over 10% of customers shopped via mobile or tablet. Convenience shopping was key whilst the weather steered choices.

Fiona Lambert, Vice President of Brand Development and Design, Asda, recaps the events that fuelled retail in 2015.

Spring – Home is where the heart is
While spring was on the horizon, Valentine’s Day celebrators chose affordable luxury for their special meal. Deals on steak, wine and desserts for two, saw a huge increase in sales as home romance was favoured over restaurant prices.

As spring skipped into gear, it was all about domestic re-invention. Sales of bedding and accessories grew as people looked for a quick way to spruce their home interiors without breaking the bank; contributing to George Home outperforming the homeware market by +4.8% in its first year. Meanwhile, when it came to the garden, warm weather created an almost 10% rise YoY rise in spending on gardens, plants and flowers.

Families set for a festive hangover despite double digit increase in disposable income for 13th consecutive month.

Average UK household had £193 of discretionary income last month, up by £14 a week compared to November 2014

Despite 13th month of double digit increases in disposable income, rate of growth slowed – from an average of £17 a week enjoyed throughout the rest of the year

2015 review shows spend on big-ticket items up in the first three quarters of 2015, with spending on vehicles increasing 11.5% compared to 2014

Family fun remained a focus with spending on recreational and cultural activities rising 8.3% ahead of the festive period

With the nation ready to pop its cork on New Year’s Eve, Asda’s latest Income Tracker shows families will have something to celebrate – discretionary income reached £193 in November, up by £14 (7.7%) on the same time last year. This marks the 13th consecutive month of double digit increases.

If you are a journalist and would like to contact the Asda media team please submit your enquiry online. Your enquiry will be assigned to a dedicated team member who will get back to you as appropriate. Please note, if you are not a journalist with a media enquiry your call will not be dealt with via this form. For all other enquiries please submit your enquiry here.